Crib drop side



Feb. s, 1944:.

CRIB DROP SIDE Filed April 20, 1942 r: 24 g F 9 "16 :27am? W 259mm,

H. J. LAMnRY 2,341,451 I Patented Feb. 8, 1944 ORE DROP SIDE Henry J. Landry, South Ashburnham, Mass, as-

signor to Gem Crib and Cradle Company, Gardner, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 20, 1942, Serial No. 439,709

(C1. --1li0) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and improved means for selectively latching or releasing the drop side of an infants crib, and the objects of the invention include the provision of a crib having a drop side, a guide rod at each end of the drop side for guiding the same in its vertical movement, and latch means mounted on each guide rod for latching the drop side in its raised position, said latch means being mounted solely on the guide rods so that there is no latching mechanism of any kind on the drop side.

Other objects of the invention include the provision of simplified crib drop side latching means comprising a spring-pressed latch member receivable entirely within a wooden drop side guide rod to release the drop side, and mounted solely thereon in position to support the drop side in raised position, whereby a minimum of metal may be used and still the general objects and advantages of the conventional crib drop side may be retained.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a front elevation with parts broken away of a crib embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of one end of the crib, parts being in section; and

Fig. 3 is a side view of the parts shown, and looking in the direction of arrow 3 in Fig. 2.

The conventional crib drop side latching mechanism comprises rods or the like movably mounted on the drop side for engagement with notches in the drop side guide rods, together with means for actuating the same. Such a construction is relatively complicated and must be made of metal. The present construction does away with most of the metal and at the same time considerably simplifies the structure and reduces its cost of manufacture.

Front crib posts I8 are provided with brackets [2 or the like adjacent their lower ends, these brackets being apertured for the reception of lugs M on the lower ends of wooden drop side guide rods It. The upper ends of the guide rods are secured to the crib posts by wooden connections, each comprising a rounded head I8 having a bore for reception of the ends of the guide rods, and a wooden bushing 20. This bushing in the present instance is bored to receive a screw .threaded sleeve 22 which may be pinned in place l2 and the wooden connections, the guide rods are {fixedly secured in space relation to the posts ID.

The drop side in this case is made solely of wood, and comprises top and bottom rails 26, 28, respectively, these rails being apertured as at 30 to slidingly receive the guide rods l6. Rails 26 and 28 are connected by spindles 32 as shown, and no other parts are mounted on the drop side.

Each guide rod I6 is provided with a slot 34 at its upper end, these slots preferably being merely saw kerfs and facing outwardly away from the interior of the crib. A bore is formed for reception of a spring 36 in each guide rod, and it will be seen that slots 34 intersect the bores. A latch member 38 which is here shown as a fiat element just fitting a slot, is pivotally mounted in each slot on a pin 48, and spring 36 is seen to normally urge the upper end of the latch member 38 outwardly of the slot, to a position wherein the lower end 42 of the latch member abuts th bottom of slot 34 to act as a stop. In this position, (the upper end of the latch member is in position to engage the under surface of and support the top rail 26 in solid line position as seen in Fig. 1.

To release the drop side so that it will descend to its lower position as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, it is only necessary to push latch members 38 back against the tension of springs 36 to positions wherein the latch members are housed completely within the slots 34 in the guide rods, whereupon the drop side is enabled to pass the latch members and descend. Conversely, to secure the drop side in upper position, all that has to be done is to raise the upper rail 26 past the latch members, and the cam edges 45 on the normally protruding ends of the latch members will cooperate with the edges of the drop side apertures 39 to retract the latches, and once past them, the top rail will be supported thereon as the springs automatically return the latches to drop side supporting condition.

The latches 38 are located outwardly of the crib where they are easily operated by the user but are not apparent to the occupant of the crib, so that the latter will not be tempted to retract them. Also, since both latch members must be retracted to lower the drop side, it will be seen that an infant could not accidentally let the drop side fall as he could not operate both latches at once.

It will be seen that the above described invention presents a simplified and improved crib doop side construction which will conserve metal and which cannot be accidentally dropped, and that the attributes desired in a crib drop side are still not lost in any way.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In a crib having a pair of spaced crib posts, that improvement which comprises a guide rod secured in spaced relation to each post, means at the top and bottom of each rod connecting the latter to its post, a crib drop side having top and bottom rails connected by spindles, said rails eX- tending transversely beyond the spindles and terminating in free ends, means in said free ends receiving the guide rods for guided vertical movement of the drop side on the rods, and means for engaging the top rail to hold the drop side in raised position, said last named means compri ing a pivoted latch in a guide rod, a slot in the rod receiving the latch, a pin extending across the slot and mounting the lat-ch, said latch having an end adapted to be selectively received substantially wholly within the slot or partially extended therefrom in the path of the top rail and another end adapted to be received at all times in the slot, a spring to normally urge said latch in a direction to extend said-first named latch end out of the slot, said slot having a bottom wall abutting the latch selectively at either side f the pin to stop its pivoting motion in either direction, said second named latch end abutting the bottom of the slot to stop the motion of the latch under influence of the spring in a position wherein the first named latch end projects from the rod in the path of the top rail and is exposed for manual retraction within the slot to release the top rail.

2. A crib having a drop side, a guide rod for the drop side, a slot having a bottom in the rod and opening toward the front of the crib, a latch in the form of a thin blade pivoted intermediate its ends in the slot for partial projection therefrom into and out the path of the drop side, a spring to urge the latch toward its partially projecting position, and an edge surface on the projecting part of the latch for manual engagement for retraction thereof to disengage the rep side to let it fall, said surface being in the form of a earn for retraction of the latch upon raising the drop side, said surface and projecting latch-part being open. and unimpeded for easy manual accessibility, and said slot bottom forming a stop for limitingtthe extent of said projecting end of the latch by engagement with the other end thereof.

HENRY J. LANDBY. 

